The Pure Light
by Venn364
Summary: In this peaceful world true darkness is nothing more than a legend. However, when that same darkness lashes out against the world a young boy must choose between saving the world and restoring his best friend's true self.
1. The Beginning

**A note from Venn...**

Before you begin reading there are just a few housekeeping matter to attend to. Number one is that the head of a Precursor temple is known as a Mayven in this story. This means that Seem, as head of her temple in Jak3 is a Mayven. Strange name I know but meh. The second thing is that while this will follow that games semi-closely this is first and foremost a work of FanFiction so just go with the flow and enjoy. The third thing is that J&D belong to Naughty Dog, I do not own them or the basic outline of the story. The finer details and occasional expendable OC are mine.

Many thanks to faytalbelgrl80 for betaing this for me XD

I had originally intended to title this story after the first game but after mine died I decided to name the entire series after it instead and to come up with a different name for the first 'book'. Besides, when you think about it almost the entire J&D franchise deals with the legacy that the precursors left behind in some way.

I appreciate all feedback including but not limited to constructive critisism, simple one liners, promises to build a temple in my honour and the lisence and resources to make Jak games... The last is of course preferred but I understand that it would be very difficult to get Naughtly Dog to give up the rights even temporarily after the last incident *High Impact I'm looking at you* XD

I've noticed a few tiny typos that managed to slip through. These have been corrected.

So without further ado I present to you the first book of The Precursor Legacy.

* * *

_Only the Pure Light may rid the world of the abominable scourge, and save the last chance for our race. The inheritor of our legacy, he has been feared by both the DarkOnes and HoraQuan since before your world's time began._

_Even now their leaders realise the Pure Light may destroy them and prepare for his inevitable return. However, once the weight of darkness is placed on his shoulders the Light alone cannot save us before balance is achieved once more._

_Our last hope for victory rests with one still untouched by pain. All will be made clear as the ending gives birth to the beginning in the great circle of time._

* * *

**The Beginning...**

* * *

LOCATION: Port Island Temple  
LOCAL TIME: 16:27 15th Janus 3614 Precursan Calander  
HAVEN TIME: Unknown

* * *

The monk hurried down the narrow passageways of the temple, seeming to pay little mind to the small child in his arms.

Today was important and might mean the difference between their destruction and their salvation. Only time would tell what today's events would herald, and the monk did not want to tempt fate by being late to meet those who wished to adopt their small saviour.

Said saviour was currently napping in his arms, oblivious to the fact that today might define his destiny. The monk paused in his stride to hoist the boy more securely into his arms. Cringing slightly as he felt the green haired child's saliva seeping through his robe, he continued on his journey.

Sometime later he halted once again, this time making sure to wake the boy, as it wouldn't do to have him sleeping when they walked into the entry hall, the only part of the temple open to the general populace on a normal day. As always, the child woke quickly and without fuss. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, the boy squirmed in the monk's arms until, smiling slightly, the monk placed the child gently on the ground.

Looking around slightly, the boy appeared confused. "Come, child, do you not remember what today is?" The boy's bright blue eyes widened before his face broke into a large grin. Seizing the monk's hand, the boy began dragging the now chuckling precursor devotee towards the entry hall. Faced with the boy's excitement, the monk felt his earlier apprehension fading away and thus almost ran into one of his fellows. In his haste, the boy, forgetting that not all the world was the same height as he was, slipped through the young acolyte's legs and attempted to continue down the passageway.

"Woah, watch it there speedy," laughed the young man, watching as the elderly monk attempted to remove himself from his new home on the floor, "The ol' monk over there isn't quite up to that kind of racing around anymore, and not for the reason you would think. He's just a weensy bit tall for your kind of shortcut."

The monk rose to his feet and dusted himself off, rolling his eyes at the young acolyte's speech. In his day acolytes were seen and not heard, but this young man always seemed to be finding a way around the rules. Smiling gently at the shame-faced boy, the monk took his hand and they continued down the passageway, refusing to dignify the acolyte's speech with a response.

"Hey kid!" the boy twisted as he walked, straining to see the acolyte behind him. "Good luck out there today, not that you need it, yeah!" Flashing the boy a grin that seemed impossibly wide and cheerful, the acolyte continued on his way, wondering if the other monks had left the gardens unguarded again and completely oblivious to just how much he had managed to cheer the child with that one sentence...

* * *

An explorer by trade, Daniel Harryson had been in need of an heir to his mantle since his son had announced that he was going to take on an apprenticeship as a Shulmyr, also known as a Crimson Warrior, when he came of age and, according to tradition, would therefore forsake all familial ties upon being sworn into their ranks.

Therefore, When rumours reached his village that the monks of Port Island's Precursor Temple were looking for someone to take in a young boy, Daniel knew immediately that the timing of the two events could not be a mere coincidence.

That night Daniel prayed for guidance, seeking the answers to questions of whether rumours of the child were true and, if so, whether he should seek out the child and make him heir to the legacy that Daniel had built up from the time he was a boy. A week later, when had he all but given up hope of receiving an answer, the Precursor's saw fit to give it to him in the form of the village's short green sage and one redheaded village troublemaker.

* * *

_"Get back here, you little brat!" Nick looked away from the tree he had been striking for practice to see a very familiar sight. Daxter had obviously done something to peeve the sage off, and was now being chased around the fountain by the angry green man, straining to stay ahead and knowing that if the sage couldn't catch him, then he couldn't make him clean up the mess that had resulted from whatever mischief had occurred._

_The sage's daughter, Keira, a child of little more than three years old, had toddled out of the bird lady's hut to watch in amusement as her father slowly changed from green to red and Daxter got away. When Samos eventually stilled, gasping for breath and muttering about demonic orange rodents, she ran over to him and held up her arms. "Up!"_

_The sage stared in bewilderment for a moment before indulging her. It seemed that even after living almost a year in the village and being the sole caretaker for his daughter, the green man still hadn t gotten used to the fact that the girl would come to him for all of her needs. "I think it's time for your nap, don't you?" He balanced her carefully on his hip and tried not to turn to putty as she stared incredulously at him with her big green eyes. "You're right, nap time isn't for another hour or so is it?"_

_Damn, he'd been so close. Give him an evil dictator to overthrow and uncooperative renegades to order around any day. Trying to get his daughter to do what she was told without Torn standing menacingly in the background was almost impossible. Hearing someone chuckling behind him, Samos turned and was met with Daniel's amused gaze. "It's hard when they're that age; the trick is to steel yourself against their gaze," glancing over to where Nick had resumed his sword practice, he shook his head self depreciatively "Not that I've ever been any good at it."_

_"Ahh, yes. He's decided to become a Crimson Warrior hasn't he?" Sensing her father's suppressed anger at the term Keira squirmed in Samos' arms, demanding to be put down. He obliged and watched as she went over to the re-emerging troublemaker and dragged him off to see the pretty birds. "You know, I heard that the Precursor monks at Port Island Temple have guardianship of a child who needs a home. Perhaps you could give him one, solve the empty nest syndrome you're starting to feel and give yourself an heir all in one go." Daxter's screams could be heard coming from the bird lady's hut and he soon exited, followed closely by a flock of furiously shrieking birds._

_"I'm not sure. Perhaps it would be best if I simply appoint one of the village children as my heir. It wouldn't be the first time something of the sort had been done." An orangey blur sprinted past Nick, and he whirled around just in time to have a half dozen birds smack him in the face before resuming their pursuit of the child who had disturbed their nests. "I don't suppose you'd let Keira inherit a small fleet of ships when she's older?"_

_"No, as much I'm sure she'd appreciate it, just, no." Daxter had managed to steal Nick's wooden practice sword and was now high in the scarred tree, futilely attempting to beat off the avian creatures with the splintering weapon, "There's always Daxter, I suppose."_

_"Hmmm," Daniel frowned in contemplation, watching as the bird lady appeared and started shouting at the boy currently abusing her precious birds. It seemed as though Daxter was finally beginning to win before the bird lady gave a particularly loud shrieking bellow and he fell out of the tree... straight into the farmer's yakkow pen. "Perhaps not." Turning his attention from the stampeding herd, he sighed before his face assumed a firm expression. "I think I will adopt the boy. I do have need of him, and things can hardly get any stranger around here."_

_Samos winced as one of the yakkows ploughed straight through the farmer's hut and into a tree, sending the boy clinging to its back flying to the air. "I suppose not." He was left alone to contemplate the misfortune of the rat as Daniel disappeared into his hut, no doubt to prepare for the journey to the temple._

_A small hand slipped into his and he looked down at his smiling daughter, noting the brightly coloured feathers that clung to her hair. "Look Daddy," she said pointing joyfully at the tree, "pretty birdies." Daxter was once more in a tree, a dazed yakkow sitting at the bottom and Nick, the bird lady, and the farmer yelling up at him as the birds resumed their assault._

_"Yes, Keira," he said as he picked her up, "Now, I do believe it's time for that nap." She gave him a look as he began the walk to his hut. "Now, now. Did I ever say it was for you?" She settled into his arms and placed her chin on his shoulder, "After what I've seen this morning, not only do I need a nap, but some of Jinx's stronger 'medicine' wouldn't go astray either."_

_Keira watched over her father's shoulder as Daxter fell out of the tree onto the three elves below. She giggled in childish amusement as all four elves picked themselves up and ran in terror as the birds zeroed in on them._

_

* * *

_

It was all well and good to have made plans to adopt the child as his nephew, as tradition dictated that none may be parent to a child but those related to them through blood. However, it was another thing all together to be standing in the entrance hall of the temple waiting to meet the boy and ever so slowly wilting under the disapproving gaze of the temple's Mayven who stood near the back of the hall.

The old woman glared down at the nervous man, certain that he would not be worthy of raising the child who would bring their salvation.

Eventually the sound of footsteps reached her ears and she swept from the room, quickly returning with a young, green haired, blue eyed boy following closely at her side. Coming to an abrupt halt in front of Daniel she narrowed her eyes in a silent challenge that Daniel found himself unable to meet for more than a moment before averting his eyes. Her harsh gaze softened slightly as she gestured towards the boy peaking out shyly from the folds of her robe "This is the child"

On average temple children were not the nervous sort; from the moment they arrived the monks worked to instil in them a self confidence and diligence that was envied by people from all corners of the known world. It is therefore understandable that Daniel was at quite a loss as to how to react in the face of the boy's shyness.

The boy was equally unsure how to react to the man in front of him. His strange clothes, sheathed sword and slight stubble cast an impressive figure that went undiminished by his short stature and balding crown. Suddenly the man moved, kneeling on the ground before him. Startled the boy hid himself completely behind the only thing in the room more frightening than the stranger, and what the he had told himself many a time, must certainly be the most frightening thing in all of elvankind.

He heard the man begin to speak and peaked out again, realising that it was he that the stranger was talking to. Ignoring the words spoken, the boy instead listened closely to the man's gentle and friendly tone, along with his thick foreign accent. He had learnt early in his life, in a time before memory, that others found it all too easy to say the right words, but the tone of a person's voice was often much harder to fake.

Ever so slowly, the boy emerged from the protection of the Mayven until he was standing directly beside her, his hand now firmly grasping the side of her robe instead of bunching it at the back. He grinned shyly at the man before him and the man replied with a smile of his own causing the boy to break out into a full on grin towards the stranger.

The moment was broken by the voice of the Mayven "He does not speak, though he seems capable, so do not ask him to try"

Daniel gazed at the saddened boy who seemed disheartened at the fact that his shame of silence had been revealed, and was now staring intently at the floor, waiting for a reaction from the one who just moments ago had seemed close to becoming the first friend the boy had ever made outside the temple.

Rising from his position on the ground Daniel stared directly into the Mayven's eyes, becoming the first person in living memory to meet her challenging gaze with an equal one of his own. "Any who would disregard a person, no matter what age, for the simple fact that they do not speak is not one who would be considered welcome on my ship or in my village. I hope you hold the same here"

The Mayven nodded in approval as the boy beside her brightened "We hold the same belief here within the temple, but we often find others are not so accepting. You have the temple's blessing to adopt the boy as your nephew and heir and should know that the child is already a channeller of multiple disciplines."

The child puffed up proudly as she mentioned his abilities. Though he could do little more than take the ecos in and allow them to flow through him, it was still far more than most children twice his age were able to do with the single or double affinities that most channellers possessed.

Smiling at the child in what the frown lines around her eyes would deem an uncharacteristic manner, the Mayven nudged him towards Daniel "I would request that you bring the boy back to the temple on his fifteenth birthday and leave him for the span on one year, so that he may learn properly how to control his inevitably vast power." Suddenly, her fond gaze turned serious and she looked at Daniel once more "this child has a great destiny before him. It is up to you to make sure he is prepared to meet it"

With those words she turned abruptly and glided towards the end of the hall, leaving the boy beside his newly minted uncle before the most important thing of all occurred to the man who had, in the span of twenty minutes gone from a simple man seeking an heir to the caretaker of a child who had the potential to become the most powerful channeller in existence. "Wait!" The Mayven halted but did not turn around "What is his name?"

The Mayven sighed, turning slightly to look at the man, "He has none." With a sweep of her robe and a rustle of fabric she was gone, leaving Daniel and his new nephew alone in the vast entrance hall of the temple.

* * *

...It was only a half hour after running into the boy in the hall that found the young acolyte munching joyfully on his apple as he strolled casually down the halls, ears listening closely in case one of the monks discovered him with his bounty and made him take a weeks worth of silence as punishment. That would surely be the end of him.

Personally, the man didn't see what the big deal was; he helped tend the gardens and aided the others in guarding the precious food from lurkers and other beasts, surely he should be allowed to have a snack whenever he wished. So intent on listening for footsteps, and thinking about the injustice of not being able to eat outside designated meal times, the acolyte didn't notice the flash of light that erupted in a nearby passage and leapt several feet in the air when he was tapped on the shoulder.

"Ahhhhhhh!" His high pitched scream echoed down the halls and he glared at the laughing man in front of him, "Don't scare me like that! You made me drop my snack!" Reaching down to pick up his now dusty prize the acolyte did a double take, finally seeming to realise just who was standing before him.

"Hey! What in the name of the Precursors took you so long? Do you have any idea how long I've had to play happy face paint just to get along around here?" The man in front of him rolled his eyes in a familiar gesture while the fruit lay on the ground, forgotten. "Whatever, let's just go home. Nothing interesting better have happened while I've been stuck here"

Disappearing into a nearby hall the false acolyte continued to rant to his shorter companion, his loud voice echoing down the halls far better than his earlier scream ever could. Another flash of light was seen and the two young men vanished, leaving only dusty fruit and fading memories behind them.


	2. Once Upon A Time

**A note from Venn...**

I apologise for the lateness of this chapter. I've had a few technical difficulties as of late, the transformer of my power chord exploded. However, the power chord has now been replaced and faytalbelgrl80 has worked her betaing magic on the chapter.

Please note that I do not own the Jak & Daxter franchise or any related characters, locations, or storylines. I do however own all original elements of this story XD

Feedback is something I thrive on, especially with exams around the corner so I would be very muchobliged if you dropped me a line to tell me what you thought of the chapter.

I now present to you the second chapter of the Pure Light.

* * *

_In ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep, the silent giants wait to be awakened. Deep will their slumber be, silent their once echoing voices, until the world has no memory of their beginnings. In the gloom they will watch, and they will wait._

_Those who go to them for answers will return only with new questions. But there will come a time when the silence ends..._

* * *

**Once Upon A Time...**

**

* * *

**

Daniel strode towards the natural harbour where his ship was moored, keeping a close eye on the boy beside him who twisted and turned in every direction, trying to take in the beauty and wonder of the entire forest all at once. They had left the temple hours ago, and Daniel was sure that if he had not been so enamoured of the environment surrounding their path, the boy would have been exhausted.

At last they reached the last stretch of their journey, the boy stopping and staring in wonder at the vast body of water before him. The Port Island Temple was located deep in the forest that covered the landmass, so it was no surprise that the boy had never before seen the ocean. Daniel grinned at the wonder on his new nephew's face and placing his pack beside him, knelt down to the boy's level, pointing towards where they could see his ship bobbing gently in the harbour. "That's my ship; right there. It's how we'll be getting home to Sandover, my boy."

The boy looked at him with shock. The big boat was his? _Amazing._

The boy grinned suddenly before sprinting off towards where the ship was located, leaving Daniel to haul on his pack and hurry after him.

* * *

_With the Krimson Guard weapons store behind him rigged to explode and the barrel of her rifle pointed directly at his heart, he had only moments to take in the mysterious woman's appearance. _

_She was filthy, covered with dirt and oil to the point it seemed unnatural. Perhaps it was, as the places where her sweat had streaked down her face and cleared the grime revealed that the filth hid a pale skin tone only found in the industrial and racing districts. Her hair was pulled into a fraying ponytail that in any other situation could have been considered comical, while its blue-green colouring stood out vividly against the red backdrop of the military zone._

_He readjusted the grip on his weapon, pointed at her head as hers was to his heart, wondering for a moment if he should remove his guard disguise in order to avoid being shot by someone that was obviously much more confident with her weapon than he was with his. Deciding against it - spies could be anyone after all - he edged backwards slightly and allowed himself to examine her more closely, noting the various heavy stains discolouring her clothing and the reddish wetness slowly spreading down her side. _

_He opened his mouth to speak and the world exploded around them._

_

* * *

_

Daniel sat on the chair, deep in thought as his son, who had been waiting on board for their return, showed his nephew around the ship.

The boy was a strange one to be sure. He showed none of the tendencies towards tantrums common of a child his age, while still retaining the wild curiosity and fascination of the world that often leant itself to such behaviour in the early years. He also seemed to startle easily, as evidenced by his reaction to seeing Nicholas appear out of the cabin when they had first arrived.

There was also the fact that despite his age and the length of time the boy had spent at the temple, he still lacked a name. That fact was perhaps the most troubling of all. Naming children was a privilege traditionally given to the mother, for she was the one who had carried the child and brought it into the world. But the boy had no mother or father anymore, had perhaps never had either to call his own.

Nicholas burst into the cabin, dripping wet and grinning widely with the sheepish looking boy in tow. "The kid's pretty good at ship duties already, Dad." The boy buried his face in Nicholas' side, trying to hide his grin in the wet folds of the red tunic. "He managed to work out exactly how to retract the walkway to the shore on his own. Just needs to work on his timing a bit."

Daniel raised an eyebrow. "What exactly were you doing on the walkway? You're supposed to be showing him around the ship, my boy, not running off to explore the jungle with him." Exploration was obviously something the boy would be doing a lot in his later years, as well as creating maps of the places he visited. Perhaps a name to go with that?

"Bah! Where's the fun in exploring the ship, Dad?" Exclaimed Nicholas, sending water in every direction with his movement. "We're going to be spending the next month on it on the way back to Sandover. Better to explore the jungle while we have the chance." Exploration was definitely a good premise for a name, but too much nudging towards the profession might cause his nephew to turn away from it in favour of easier tasks.

"You just wanted a chance to use my sword didn't you?" Nicholas had the decency to look embarrassed and gently put the ancient Precursan sword back on the mantle where it rested when Daniel did not have need of it. "Don't think I didn't notice it was missing. I only look stupid." It had been a love of combat that had led Nicholas to seeking a place in the Shulmyr and the young man had been overjoyed when they had accepted his eventual apprenticeship within their ranks. The nameless boy would also be extremely talented in the area of combat, he knew, if only because of his channelling powers and the monks foreshadowing of the great destiny that lay before him.

Daniel sighed before rising from his seat. "The boy's cabin isn't properly readied yet." He glanced towards where the boy was now standing on another chair, shifting through the scrolls containing the different lore and histories that Nicholas would need to know for when he joined the Shulmyr. "I trust you won't run off to explore the jungle while I'm gone?"

Nicholas shook his head balefully before moving towards the fireplace to try and dry himself a little. "I promise." Daniel smiled as his son playfully flung his wet tunic in the boy's general direction, and laughed softly to himself as Nicholas suddenly strode over to the boy and slipped his goggles around the child's head before ruffling his short green hair. It seemed the boy already had his much older cousin wrapped around his small finger, and he hadn't had to do a thing to help it along. As usual the young boy responded only by smiling and a concerned look passed over the Nicholas' face.

Twisting towards where his father had been standing only moments before, Nicholas cast his eyes towards the door and called out. "Wait a minute!" Daniel turned in the doorway, taking note of how young his son still seemed, though he was only months from reaching manhood.

For a moment Nicholas struggled with what he wanted to say, glancing at the boy who was now staring in fascination at a map of Sandover and the surrounding continent. So many questions swam through his mind, what now, why doesn't he speak, what is wrong with my new cousin and how do I help him? In the end he settled for the simplest of his many questions. "What's his name?"

The balding man's eye twinkled in an amused manner before smiling fondly at his boys. "His name is Jak." He who is loved...

* * *

_From his place against the hard, uneven concrete, he gaped at the burning barracks through his now ruined plate mask as his female counterpart did the same towards the crater where the weapons store had previously been. _

_The alarms sounded and the two saboteurs scrambled for their weapons. The woman reached hers first, "Don't touch it." The click of the safety caused him to both curse at his earlier assumptions and to stop just short of grabbing his own weapon._

_

* * *

_

The sun rose slowly over the village as its residents slept on, undisturbed by the bright light that spilled into their huts. The only exception to this was a four year old boy camped out on the roof of the fisherman's hut, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the child who was to be the village's newest resident.

A small snore erupted from the boy before a frown crossed his face and he rolled over, murmuring small curses at the sun's brightness. Suddenly he bolted upright and seized the 'borrowed' spyglass lying next to his small rucksack. Pointing the spyglass in the wrong direction, he nodded to himself in satisfaction when he saw that the ocean was still clear of any boat traffic.

Seizing an apple from his pack and biting into it, he gazed lazily over the ocean for a few minutes before a shape rounding the crest of Misty Island caught his gaze...

* * *

_"How do I avoid the patrols?" He rolled his eyes soundlessly at her demand, standing slowly but refusing to turn around lest his uneven slummers beard and lack of tattoos betray him now that his face plate had fallen from its frame and lay shattered on the ground. In three quick strides her weapon was jammed in his back, forcing him to his knees and causing a small grunt to escape from his throat._

_"How do I avoid the patrols?" The tremor in her voice revealed just how out of her depth she really was, decreasing the likelihood of her being a spy more and more. The barracks had been empty due to the maneuvers that Commander Mika was putting his men through, leaving the weapons store opposite vulnerable, something that the Shade and his associates had capitalized upon immediately, sending him in to destroy it. None of them had figured on a third party taking out the barracks._

_The feeling of her gun pressed hard against his back, angled into him slightly, brought him from his thoughts and back to the strange woman. "I'll ask one more time guardsman, how do I avoid the patrols?"_

_"If I knew the patrol routes do you really think I would have ended up in this alley?" He could feel her stiffen, the barrel of the gun shifting slightly away from him before reclaiming its new home in the small of his back._

_"Don't lie, and don't you dare turn around." So, she didn't want him to get a clearer look at her than he already had, or perhaps she didn't want to remember his face if she did end up shooting him?_

_"Nobody move!" the whirring sound of the shock stick invaded the alley through the chaos. The obviously new guardsman stood awkwardly, not sure if he should point his meager weapon at the woman with the gun or the imposter who had obviously been skilled enough to liberate the uniform of one of the elites. _

_

* * *

_

That morning, Samos and every other villager in Sandover had been awoken by the local troublemaker's excited shouting from atop the fisherman's hut. Dodging several sandals to the head and passing out several party favours of his own, the redheaded boy had finally managed to communicate the fact that the explorer's vessel was practically in the harbour.

Staring down through the window of his hut, Samos frowned deeply at fate's fickle tendencies, even as his daughter slept on in the area behind him, oblivious to the light and sound now permeating the hut.

"I won't let that future come to pass..."

* * *

_**Four years later...**_

"Keira?" When he did not immediately receive a reply, he turned to leave the room, thinking that perhaps his seven year old daughter was already in deep sleep or had run away to Jak's house for the night. He wouldn't blame her if she had. He'd been, in the words of his late wife, an absolute ass, overreacting in the way he did.

"Go 'way." A muffled, tear choked voice sounded from somewhere to his left and he sighed heavily.

At least he knew now that she was still in the hut. Moving back into the room, he finally noticed her in the corner opposite her bed by one of the larger plants, blanket over her completely, camouflaging her in the shadows cast by the moonbeam coming in through the window. A few sniffles escaped the blanket and he felt even worse than he had before.

"Keira, I-"

"Go 'way Daddy."

"No, I won't." Slowly, so as to not incite a temper he knew could be equally deadly as his own if given the right outlet, he placed a plate of food on the table and settled himself down beside the lump of blanket. "Are you going to come out of there, or am I going to have to sit here on my own?"

The only reply he received was the lump in the blanket twisting away from him.

Turning a small device over in his hands, Samos took a closer look at it in the moonlight. It was a primitive signal device of some kind, possibly a tracker or an alarm. It was something that shouldn't exist for what he thought would be a long time, and yet Keira had created it, made it work with little more than scrap metal and a bit of blue eco.

The sudden appearance of the device hadn't been what had set him off; it had needed to be invented sometime after all. No, it had been the girl who brought it to him that caused him to erupt.

Streaked with dirt and smelly black grime he suspected was a primitive lubricant,** dirt and oil so thick it couldn't be normal**, her hair pulled back into a rough imitation of a pony tail,** green-blue on red so much happening around them**, proudly showing off her small invention, **fire, noise, so much heat, so much red, the sound of gunfire in the distance, always moving, never safe, stop, stop, stop, stop, STOP!**

So, he had unthinkingly reacted as he usually did when things became too much for him to bear. He had yelled, he had forbidden her from creating any more of the devices or anything like it, and then he had sent her, crying, to her room while he fumed over the device he had confiscated and tried to squelch the aching in his heart.

After the old sage had calmed down enough to acknowledge to himself exactly why he had been upset, he knew he would need to apologize to his daughter once she came out again, and hope that he hadn't done any permanent damage to their relationship with his outburst. Making his apology was made harder by the fact that Keira didn't come out of her room all afternoon, not even that evening when the smell of dinner wafted through the air. Thinking that she had perhaps fallen asleep, Samos had secured her a plate and headed back to the hut, forgetting his own meal in the process.

So here he was, sitting on the floor, his daughter studiously ignoring him from beneath her blanket, and wondering just where he should start and what he should say. After a few minutes, he decided that 'the beginning' and close to 'everything' were probably the way to go.

"Keira, I'm sorry." The lump turned towards him slightly and he took it as a good sign. "Listen, I, I ah, I shouldn't had yelled at you, and the device you built is something to be praised, so don't think for a second you should stop trying to make things." The lump in the blanket had now shifted in such a way that suggested his daughter was now facing him directly. "It's just, you looked- you looked like- and it hurt, so I, I reacted badly."

Curiosity lured Keira from the security of her hot blanket. Throwing it off and smudging the lingering tearstains from her face, she peered carefully at her dejected father. "Looked like what, Daddy?"

He smiled gently at her and cupped her face fondly with his hand, swiping gently at the dirt with his thumb and smiling when she leaned in slightly, letting him know he was forgiven. "You looked- _you look_, just like your mother."

* * *

_Diving forward, the gold-armoured man seized his weapon and shot the red-clad guardsman straight through the chest plate and in the heart, before turning to face the woman who, to her credit, simply glared evenly at him._

_A much smaller, secondary explosion rocked the area and a portion of the barracks collapsed. Glancing at the burning wreckage, then at each other, they fled the alley in opposite directions. Moving steadily towards the slums, where even the worst of scum could hide in relative safety, he wondered if she would be caught. He told himself he didn't care._


End file.
